The Astrology of April 2020:
The Fires of Transformation

by Juliana McCarthy

April begins inside a paradigm shift, which is well-underway. It has cracked us open, thrusting us into a world that we barely recognize. Fiery Aries is in command, leading us through the current Jupiter-Pluto conjunction. This combustible transit is forcing us to meet our shadows and fears, and to rise to a whole new level of transformation and spiritual potential. This requires vigilance, strength, gentleness, and trust in our unfoldment as we work hard to survive and stay safe, and help others do the same.

Mars has just crossed Saturn in Aquarius, and themes of isolation and struggle are strong. But the planets are also supporting us in joining forces with one another as we demonstrate increased pragmatism and ingenuity. We’re in the process of building the future, finding novel solutions to the world’s problems—in ways that will ripple beyond our current crisis. This is largely because of Saturn in Aquarius, which is giving us a glimpse into the future.

What do we see when we look around? In addition to fear, grief, and panic, we may also feel hope, as we work together in rare unity to confront an unprecedented shared crisis. The Earth is less polluted, and we are reallocating money and resources, becoming more localized, community oriented, and self-sufficient.

Something interesting is also happening on a more personal level, within the confines of our own homes. Whether we’re alone or not, relationship themes are becoming prominent, as we approach this month’s Libra Full Moon and next month’s Venus retrograde. Through mass reflection, we’re processing old wounds, feeling our heartbreak, despair, trauma, and regret, which we’ve kept buried beneath our frenetic speed and distractions. With little choice, we’ve found ourselves at the perfect starting point for deeper intimacy—alone with ourselves, processing our wounds, finding the courage to feel what we feel, without shame. As we learn to love ourselves more, our generosity grows. We naturally extend our gentleness and understanding to others.

Imbued with greater awareness and compassion, we can begin to create an enlightened society—the highest potential of the Aquarian Age. Together, we can rebuild our communities and culture, weaving a new social fabric from threads of kindness and consideration, which each of us is cultivating in solitude.

In the meantime, we have much to tend to. Many of us are losing jobs, resources, and loved ones right now. This is an important moment to reach out to one another with tremendous empathy and care. After all, the North Node is still in Cancer, reminding us of what really matters—not empty achievement, status, or gain, but healing, holding hands (metaphorically for now), and establishing deeper bonds of mutual nurturing. As we practice social distancing, we are ironically appreciating our connections more than ever. We are demonstrating our profound interdependence, which these times have so forcefully laid bare.

VENUS OUT OF BOUNDS

We begin the month with Venus, the planet of love and money, moving out of bounds beginning April 2, breaking her normal rules and patterns. Social distancing and erratic markets are reflective of her transit. As she moves into Gemini on April 3, Venus is preparing for next month’s retrograde. It’s time to question our desires, while recalibrating how we form relationships and support ourselves. Communication and education are magnified as we make new discoveries, and create new types of friendships, networks, and connections.

JUPITER CONJUNCT PLUTO

The most significant transit of the month is Jupiter conjunct Pluto, which is exact on April 4. Pluto represents death, rebirth, and transformation, while Jupiter expands all that he touches. This is an explosive combination, and we have the potential now for both heaviness and liberation. Falling in Capricorn—our past—we may even feel like we’ve returned to medieval times, while the old structures of our life fracture and fall away. The fires are now incinerating the places where we’ve resisted change. It’s time for surrender and renewal, for facing our fears, relaxing into the process, and feeling the depth of our liberations.

Two more Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions will form this year—on June 24 and November 12. This whole year, we’re discovering the limitations of our societal structures, and their effects on our reality and relationships. It’s time for rebirth. With Saturn close by, this won’t feel easy or comfortable. But we’re ready for deep and long-lasting change, which begins now. What shadows have we been avoiding within ourselves and our outer world? This is the moment to rally our courage and look our demons in the eye, with growing bravery, honesty, and awareness—until they dissolve.

MARS SQUARE URANUS

Mars squares Uranus on April 7, stirring feelings of restlessness, anger, and rebellion. Relationship issues are triggered now, ready to be resolved with tomorrow’s Libra Full Moon.

LIBRA FULL MOON

A Libra Full Moon arrives on April 7, shining light on issues of relationships, money, and the law. Gentleness is key, as we learn to compromise, conjuring love and acceptance to offset our selfishness and anger. In solitude, we’re becoming better friends and lovers, as we become more acquainted with ourselves, with increased leniency and forgiveness. We’re also developing appreciation for what we don’t have access to now—physical human connection and togetherness. This is a crucial time to reach out and support each other, and offer our hearts in meaningful ways. We could ask ourselves: What do we value, love, and desire? How do we want to connect, and with whom? And what do we want to create? We can clean the slate of past relationships now—apologizing for harm we’ve caused, resolving old karma, and making peace with ourselves. The more we restore our relationships and recognize our inherent goodness, the better our chances will be of emerging from this crisis into more a balanced and loving world.

MERCURY MOVES INTO ARIES

Mercury moves into Aries on April 11, offering great clarity and relief after a long stint in foggy Pisces. We are sweeping away the rubble, finding our paths forward after a major period of uncertainty.

TAURUS NEW MOON

The Taurus New Moon arrives on April 22, square to Saturn in Aquarius. We are still negotiating new laws and structures in society—still figuring out what our future might look like. But Taurus grants us the patience we need as we hash out what will make sense and what won’t—how we will rebuild our relationships, lives, and the structures of our world. The potential for calm is emerging, as Taurus reminds us to be present in our bodies and our senses.

PLUTO STATIONS RETROGRADE

On April 25, we will feel an important shift as Pluto stations retrograde. The energies of combustion, death, and transformation are now slowing down and retreating. We are entering a time in which we can process all that’s happened—our losses, sacrifices, and profound change—a period that will last until October 2. But there’s no turning back. Once we emerge from the chrysalis, we’ll never be caterpillars again. Rather than mourning what was, we can embrace who we’ve become—and who we’re still becoming, as we learn to fly. The Aquarian Age is still in its inception. We are still releasing what was as we move into a whole new paradigm, defined by egalitarianism, innovation, and reverence for the Earth. This is an age of individual liberation, where everyone has our basic needs met, simply because we breathe. With more time and peace available to us, we will see an increase in art, peace, love, and unity.

For now, we are figuring out, in large ways and small, how we can create a society that will reflect our mutual care and interconnection. Laws, politics, media, employment, education, and all the basic structures of reality are profoundly changing, in the throes of this earthshaking pandemic. It’s up to us to decide if we will keep our hearts open and our minds sharp, no matter what. The more of us who do, the better our chances of succeeding.

APRIL SUMMARY

In the midst of a worldwide crisis and widespread panic, fear, and grief, we are feeling the combustibility of a Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, with Mars and Saturn in the mix. Whether we’re ready or not, we are destroying and releasing the past, so we can build a better paradigm from its rubble. We are clearing the way for an Aquarian Age—an age marked by equality, technological innovation, and interconnection. The North Node is in Cancer, ready to shift into Gemini next month, and we’re integrating our Cancerian lessons of caring more for ourselves and each other, while focusing on our healing. Our priorities are shifting as we reallocate resources and see how we’ve been mistreating each other and the Earth, focusing on empty achievements and distractions, rather than our deeper connections. As we practice solitude and isolation, our relationships are ironically becoming more of a focal point this month, with a Libra Full Moon and Venus retrograde on the horizon. Who are we? How can we better harmonize with one another? What kinds of relationships and lives do we want to create moving forward? Toward the end of the month, the fires of transformation will begin to subside as a stable Taurus New Moon arrives, just before Pluto stations retrograde. From April 25 until October 3, we have the chance to integrate all that’s happened, internally and externally. We can nurture the seeds of powerful reflection and wisdom that we planted in our solitude. In our hearts, we can keep alive the memories of this moment, when the Earth began to heal and regenerate, when our selfish destructiveness gave way to calm reflection, as society slowed to a halt. Rather than drowning in panic, fear, and despair, we are finding greater ease with all that we feel. We are surrendering to what is, while continuing the hard work of helping each other survive and step into our highest potentials. We are continuing to cultivate our cooperation and the heightened intimacy we are now discovering. From here, we can aspire to create a world that lives up to our new ideals.

Among blooming flowers and chirping birds, may we relish in the Earth’s unpolluted splendor, and our potential for greater love, acceptance, cooperation, and healing. May we fully offer our support to one another, feeling our true richness—our love and interconnection, which we’re beginning to weave into the structures of our world.

My book, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, is available for purchase!

You can sign up for personal readings here

I post astrology videos, talks, and classes regularly to my Patreon page. Sign up here to watch